Jeff screws with the players minds every time they go through therapy right before voting at tribal council. Weren't there a few times where the decision of who to vote out was immediatly decided after one survivor answers one of
Jeff's question the wrong way?

Also, I may be wrong but.. what I saw was Jeff reiterating Ian's question to Janu and a number of "Is that your final answer"s from Jeff before Janu quit the game. I saw him trying to make absolutely sure that Janu was quitting the game.

Even Stephanie told Janu not to quit the game just to let Stephanie stay. None of the other tribe members tried to talk Janu into reversing her decision.

Ya gotta be kidding me. Jeff is part of the production staff. Every episode is about challenges and twists created and introduced by the producers to screw with the contestants and shake things up. The whole concept is about the producers replicating and accelerating the contestants' Murphy's Law for dramatic effect. Jeff is just one tool of the producer's arsenal.

I agree w/you DocPep. JEFF IS part of the game. The game includes to OUTWIT & who else but Jeff Probst is gonna ask intelligent questions to get them to think of their current game plan?

People sign onto the show knowing tribal councils can last a LONG time and LOTs of questions are gonna get asked and therefore possible strategies revealed. The 'smart' player will know how to play their cards close and not reveal everything during the TC. Or quit because of a few tears and questions.

As long as Jeff doesn't come out dating Steph at the end of the season (hey, he's already hooked up with one contestant, can we really trust him? ), I don't have a problem with what he did. That's his role on the show. Many times he brings up what I'm thinking and what other contestants won't bring up.

Ya gotta be kidding me. Jeff is part of the production staff. Every episode is about challenges and twists created and introduced by the producers to screw with the contestants and shake things up. The whole concept is about the producers replicating and accelerating the contestants' Murphy's Law for dramatic effect. Jeff is just one tool of the producer's arsenal.

I agree with this. Jeff has been a part of the game for the past three or four seasons at least. He's constantly been pointing out players that aren't performing in challenges, and pointing out tribe dynamics that his sees in order to shake things up within the "players". Most all of the questions that we see on TV during the tribal councils are loaded in one way or another. He wants alliances revealed, slackers made known, and it's up to the "players" to answer them in a non incriminating way to survive.

I see Jeff as the wild card player. The one who can't be voted out, but can, and will, do everything in his power to keep the game interesting for television. He's just another thing that a "player" has to overcome to win the million. I don't think there is anything wrong with it either. Call it another (major) twist.

If Steph were to win now, I don't think it would be earned. Echoing what many have already said, I also feel Jeff crossed the line last night. Asking players what their motives, strategy, and all of that is is fine, but more or less telling someone to quit is different, just to keep someone around that may be more interesting or may want to win more? So what if Janu was miserable, it wasn't Jeff's place to change the game because he wanted to keep someone else in. I don't think Steph's long for the game, anyway (of course I said the same about some of the other players who are still there) so I don't think Probst accomplished much, except buying her 3 more days. I actually think Jeff has almost stepped over the line a few times this season; when Jeff and Kim were still kicking around, I'm surprised he didn't vote them out himself because he really tried to widen the target on their backs. But maybe, as some have suggested, we're just not used to Jeff being like this at TC.

Yes, but he said it in a way that implied to Janu, there was nothing wrong with quitting, and that it was the same thing as asking your tribe to vote you out.

Now, let's not forget that Janu brought all her stuff to TC, so there is no doubt in my mind that she was going to quit or get booted sometime soon. However, the question is not at all about Janu. It should have been about the game. Inviting Janu to quit screws up the game being played by everyone else. I just think he went to far.

I am not sure he went that far on purpose. Those are long conversations and it just kind of seemed like a flippant question. Nevertheless, it manipulated the game, and even though it saved a popular and more deserving Survivor, it still ruined the season.

Jeff is not a player, or a virtual player, etc... He is the host. He has been creeping this way for a while, so it shouldn't be a surprise, I guess.

The thing that surprised me was how overt JP was. If you believe the rumors then much of the "drama" behind Survivor is staged by the producers who manipulate outcomes to heighten the "viewing pleasure".

They’ve been building up the “Stephanie” plot line all the way through the shows. I was wondering how they would get out of this “twist”. Either it was scripted this way to bring Jeff into the game more, or maybe there was some in-game maneuvering the producers couldn’t control.